Very very nice - Super fun lesson, good explanations and super fun and nice guides. You have ample time to surf and it is highly recommended to take lessons here. Today we go again!

Super fun waves and great location - We took 3 surf lessons and everything from the instructors and the vibe during the surf was amazing. Highly recommend if in Madeira! :)

Great teachers, Great times - Such a great surf school! Such genuine teachers, its clear they really care about helping you out! They have a photographer and give you all the pics afterwards for free! We caught a ton of waves and the location was gorgeous. They even invited us to a local barbecue after. Most authentic, local experience ever!

Nice experience in a beautiful surfing environment - The preparation was clear and smooth, allowing us to spend a lot of time in the water! What a blissful experience as a first surfing session

Surfing - Was a very nice experience nice people who gave you good tips and tried to give you good waves

Excellent way to get kids to surf! - Our three kids (9, 11, 13) had two surfing classes with Calhau surfing. Excellent experience! Filipe and other trainers took their time to patiently explain how to get started with the surfing! A downside? We might be in into a few surfing holidays in the future!

Fantastic. - I highly recommend this experience, with the boys of the Calhau school, in addition to the school there is a hotel and a guest house run by them all super cute and cozy, you can breathe the true spirit of surfing! The super friendly and helpful staff, I was here for a weekend of surfing and the team of super professional and kind instructors. If you want to perfect your surfing or just learn to surf this is the place

NOT FOR BEGINNERS! - Unfortunately, we were very disappointed with our beginners’ surf lesson. The location was completely unsuitable for beginners. The beach was full of rocks and large stones, and after catching a wave you could easily end up landing on them. The water was also extremely crowded, with people constantly getting in each other’s way and sometimes even crashing into each other. From the moment we arrived, we did not feel particularly welcome. The instructors did not introduce themselves, and they were not friendly or approachable. There were also no proper safety instructions, which we found especially concerning given the rocky beach and the very busy conditions. After a short explanation on the beach, we were sent into the water quite quickly. At first, the instructors helped us get into position, but after you had attempted your first wave, you were basically left to figure things out yourself and make your own way back. There was very little guidance or supervision. There were 9 beginners in total, 5 of them decided to quit after about 10 minutes in the water, because it simply wasn’t working in those conditions. I eventually decided not to go into the water at all because I felt completely uncomfortable and unsafe. What was particularly disappointing was that none of the instructors came over to ask why I wasn’t participating or offered any help or reassurance. We also found the lesson quite expensive considering the level of instruction and supervision provided. We understand that my boyfriend and I had to be split up because he has a higher level of experience while I am a complete beginner, but we expected the beginners’ group to receive proper guidance and attention. What made the experience even worse was that the instructors were genuinely not very nice or welcoming. There was no sense of encouragement or making beginners feel comfortable. After so many people stopped participating, there was also no apology, explanation or acknowledgement from the instructors that the lesson clearly wasn’t going well. For a beginners’ surf lesson, we expected safety, proper guidance and instructors who would make you feel comfortable trying something new. Unfortunately, we experienced none of that. I would definitely not recommend this school to anyone who is a complete beginner.

Don't book this lesson as a beginner!! - Very bad experience with this surf school. Guidance is uninterested and very limited. You are going surfing at a small beach with quite high waves, which break onto a rocky shore. Completely unsuitable for beginners. Our group was more than 20 people, and everyone is left to their own devices. I would not book with this surf school.

As a woman, not for me - My experience at this surf school was disappointing. At the start of the lesson, an instructor pushed each student around the circle to determine which foot was their front foot. This was not explained beforehand, and no consent was sought before making physical contact. I also felt there could have been more opportunities to check that students understood the instructions or had questions. While we were in the water, one instructor repeatedly shouted instructions, which made the experience more stressful than supportive. The water was extremely crowded, so a significant part of the lesson was spent trying to avoid colliding with other surfers or being hit by boards. The most concerning part of my experience was the conduct of one instructor. He told me I was ‘pretty’ while rubbing my cheek with his fingers. At end of the session, he approached me again to congratulate me, hugged me, and kissed me on the cheek. As a woman, this made me feel uncomfortable. I did not invite or welcome this physical contact. Overall, I did not feel relaxed or reassured in the water. The instructors are mostly men, and based on my experience, women looking for a strictly professional learning environment may want to be aware of this. I will not be returning to this school.